Compared with a contraction in 2014, recovered paper imports in China “grew remarkably” during the third quarter of 2015 thanks to lower prices, according to economists from United States-based RISI and its Beijing-based UMPaper subsidiary.

Imported recovered paper is considered to have better fiber and higher pulp yields than China’s domestic recovered paper, according to RISI. Therefore, after the price of imported recovered paper hit a trough, larger paper mills in China, which enjoy lower logistics and procurement costs in the import market, have become increasingly interested in imported recovered paper, says RISI.

Speakers and panelists from RISI and other organizations will offer further insight on the topic of China’s recovered paper market outlook at the China International Recycled Fiber Conference (RCP 2015), to be held Dec. 2-4, 2015, at the JW Marriott Shenzhen in that South China city.

Among the presenters will be RISI economist Hannah Zhao and Sarah Feng, associate director of RISI (China) – UMPaper.

They will be joined on the program by several Chinese trade association leaders [link to earlier press release] as well as:

• Bill Moore of United States-based Moore & Associates;
• Marc-Antoine Belthe, head of recycled paper sales for Europe at Veolia Environmental Service and CEO of VP France Recycling; and
• Johan Boons, general manager of Belgium-based Sha International BVBA.
   

RISI says speakers will address several topics, including China’s macro-economic trends, its entire paper industry development and the influence of policies such as tax refunds and mill shut-downs.

The conference is organized by RISI and supported by UMPaper, the China Resources Recycling Association, the China Packaging Federation Paper Products Committee and Moore & Associates.

The Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants based in Brussels, have released an open letter to the European Commission urging the commissioners to set ambitious and binding targets to divert recyclable and recoverable waste from landfills when its Circular Economy package is introduced.

The EU Commission has reported it will introduce its new Circular Economy package, currently in development, by the end of the year.

In the letter, CEWEP points out that recycling materials and recovering waste benefits the environment, reduces greenhouse gas emissions thus contributing to policy targets, and boosts the economy.

“Diverting recyclable and recoverable waste from landfills is the first step towards a recycling and recovering society for a sustainable use of our resources. Setting ambitious recycling and recovering targets is the second step that can only be done after the first step,” CEWEP states in its letter, signed by Ferdinand Kleppmann, CEWEP president; and Ella Stengler, CEWEP managing director.

CEWEP is the umbrella association of the owners and operators of waste-to-energy plants (waste incineration with energy recovery) across Europe.

Attendees of the Renewable Energy from Waste Conference, Nov. 16-19 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando Florida will find out how an innovative and collaborative waste conversion project is providing power to the area’s tourist attractions.

In addition to a panel discussion on the public-private partnership that has made the Harvest Central Florida Energy Garden possible, a tour of the anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is also available to attendees on a first come first served basis.

A session on Wednesday, Nov. 18, titled, “Part of the Magic - How an Anaerobic Digestion Public-Private Partnership is Powering Orlando's Tourist Attractions” will include the major contributors to making the AD project possible.

Through a public-private partnership, Harvest Power is working with local businesses to codigest food waste with biosolids to provide power to the area's major attractions, which attract over 50 million tourist each year. This facility provides waste management through its specially engineered design to codigest biosolids with food wastes from local resorts, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, sports arenas, golf courses and the food processing community.

Moderated by Ljupka Arsova, a consultant with Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, the panel will feature Brandon Moffatt, senior vice president of energy, Harvest Power; Ted McKim, principal civil engineer, Reedy Creek Energy Services; and Jamie Bohan, senior director, recycling & alternative technology development, Republic Services. Learn how each company played a role in making the project a success, then on Thursday morning, Nov. 19, see first-hand the operations of the facility.

A tour of Harvest Power's Energy Garden in Orlando will be offered on a limited, first come, first served basis. The facility has been described one of the most innovative AD projects of its kind in North America with a capacity 130,000 tons per year with 5.4 megawatts of combined heat-and-power (CHP) output.

More information on the conference and the tour is available at www.REWConference.com.
 

Thermogenics Inc., a waste-to-energy technology company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has signed a joint venture agreement with a Nigerian company, Oseberg Nig Ltd., to develop a $40 million waste-to-energy plant to be located in the African country, according to a report in the Albuquerque Journal.

The article says the plant will take municipal and other combustible waste and convert it to clean electricity, using advanced gasification processes developed by Thermogenics.

The joint venture is called Deserta Waste Management.

Thermogenics describes its gasification technology as "simple, effective and at a fraction of the cost of mass-burn or incineration which makes it applicable for developing and developed countries and has ease of scalability not found in other processes.”

The company’s website describes it as is a privately held corporation specializing in development of waste-to-energy systems based on the company’s patented gasification systems.

The company says it offers a wide range of capabilities, including equipment sales and leasing, and design and supply of complete integrated waste management facilities.